Cavaliers vs. Warriors: Game 6 Stats and NBA Finals 2016 Game 7 Schedule, Odds

What looked like a knee-slapper of an NBA Finals series between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers has mutated into something special, perhaps something careening toward one of the most memorable finishes in recent memory.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers seemed on the cusp of elimination, falling into a 3-1 hole, needing a historic ladder to climb their way out.

That's just what they've had over the course of two more games.

Now both parties meet out west for Game 7 Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Before the finale tips off, let's take a look at Game 6 and what it means before the Association crowns a champion.

Game 6 Breakdown

Feeling a sense of deja vu?

Onlookers should—James posted 41 points in Thursday's 115-101 win, just like he did in Monday's 112-97 decision.

Whereas James got 41 points of help from Kyrie Irving in Game 5, though, Game 6 was a more well-rounded effort with Irving posting 23 points, Tristan Thompson going for 15 and J.R. Smith adding 14 of his own.

The individual numbers add up to a staggering tale on the stat sheet—the Cavaliers, outright criticized as the lesser of two teams in the face of perhaps one of the greatest of all time, simply bullied the Warriors in most essential categories:

Stat	GS	CLE
Field Goal %	40.2	51.9
Three Point %	38.5	37.0
Free Throw %	69.0	78.1
Total Rebounds	48	54
Assists	19	24
Steals	5	12
Blocks	3	7
Total Turnovers	14	12
Fast-Break Points	10	19
Points in Paint	30	42

Call it a clinic for how a team that is about to get eliminated from title contention in front of its home crowd should play.

Cleveland simply shot better, played better defense and made a point to outhustle the Warriors up and down the court and on both ends, regardless of whether the visitors had defensive specialist Draymond Green back in the fold or not.

In fact, the Warriors looked lost from the start, with Stephen Curry going 8 of 20 from the field with 30 points and Klay Thompson shooting 9 of 21 with 25. Leandro Barbosa was the only other player to hit double digits (14), with notables such as Harrison Barnes looking downright lost (0-of-8).

Even worse, Curry and others fell into foul trouble, a major point of contention during and after the game.

"He gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, according to ESPN.com. "As the MVP of the league, we're talking about these touch fouls in the NBA Finals. I'm happy he threw his mouthpiece."

Both teams finished with 25 fouls apiece, but officiating will now be one of the key points going into Sunday.

Game 7 Preview

One would think the Cavaliers could stand as favorites Sunday after such strong performances in the face of history. 

Maybe not. According to Odds Shark, the Warriors enter the final game as five-point favorites.

Fair enough. The Warriors are a 73-win team and losers of just two games at home during the regular season. They've lost just two games at home this postseason, too, despite fighting through an injury to Curry early on in the bracket.

Speaking of injuries, Las Vegas might have let an ankle issue suffered by Irving in the third quarter of Game 6 influence the line—according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin the ankle shouldn't be a problem, but Irving did go 1 of 3 with three points over his final 12 minutes of play.

Hopefully it's not an issue and capable of derailing what has been an incredible series. One glance at a note by ESPN Stats & Info says it all:

What wins out? James' greatness, his ability to carry the Cavaliers on his back right out of a 3-1 hole and into the history books while securing a title for the city? Or arguably one of the best teams of all time, a defending champion at home with a reigning MVP coming off a historic season? 

One thing seems certain—Cleveland doesn't need to change much of anything at this point.

If James and Irving can keep producing while pestering Green and Curry, respectively, the King and his team will steal a title right out from underneath the Warriors, a team that overcame a 3-1 deficit in the conference finals to get here, only to flirt with the idea of losing after holding a 3-1 advantage.

Hollywood couldn't have scripted it better. 

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. Odds via Odds Shark.